Atomic Blonde – Movie Review

I’m not really a “spy movie” kinda girl. The only reason I’ve watched the Jason Bourne movies is because Matt Damon is in them and I’ll watch anything with Matt Damon in it. A spy thriller like Atomic Blonde wouldn’t usually be a priority for me but I went to see it anyway. There were a few reasons.

1 – The trailer was amazing. I love movie trailers. I’ll spend hours just watching them on YouTube. Atomic Blonde’s trailer happened to be really badass. It was fast paced, showed lots of action, gave enough of the plot away to pique my interest but not spoil the film and it had an awesome soundtrack.

2 – Charlize Theron. I’m a sucker for female representation in movies. Promise me a powerful and independent lady lead and I am there. It was clear from the trailer that Charlize was going to be kicking some major ass and I was so ready for it.

3 – James McAvoy. As a fellow Scot it is a requirement that I adore James McAvoy. Luckily for me he happens to be a great actor too. Certain stars draw me to films (see my Matt Damon comment above) and James McAvoy is one such star.

So now that we’ve established why I was drawn to Atomic Blonde let’s see if it was worth whipping out my Cineworld Unlimited card for.

The best thing about Atomic Blonde is the fight scenes. Super spy Lorraine Broughton as played by Charlize Theron does not hold back. This isn’t the type of film where the leading lady survives a fight without as much as smudging her lipstick or breaking a nail. Lorraine spends most of the film covered in cuts and bruises which is to be expected considering the insane altercations she finds herself in. The best fight scene takes place in a stairwell. Look out for it when you go to see the film.

If I was to describe the general feel of the film in one word I’d say it was “Cool”. Everything from the costumes, music and even the titles on screen was super stylish. My boyfriend who accompanied me said it felt “very Guy Ritchie”. High praise indeed.

The film is set in 1989 just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall and I loved this setting. It’s not a time or place that I see portrayed often in the movies that I watch. I enjoyed being taken somewhere new.

Where the film is let down is by its convoluted plot. Maybe Atomic Blonde could have been the next John Wick but the difference between the two is that John Wick sticks with a simple plot. They killed his dog and he wants revenge. The motivations in Atomic Blonde aren’t so simple. Sticking with the film to the end will make everything clear but until that point I felt a bit lost.

If you like spy/espionage movies like Jason Bourne then I think you’ll like Atomic Blonde. The action sequences with Charlize putting down guys twice her size are the highlight of the film and they make for a fun watch.

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Are you going to see Atomic Blonde? If you have seen it let me know what you thought in the comments!